Even when it's behind gray clouds, the sun still seems to shine on the USC Trojan football team.

With questions concerning the possibility of a cold, rainy day Saturday in South Bend, Ind., USC got a little help in simulating the inclement weather by getting a rare cold and rainy day in Southern California.

While the forecast on Weather.com isn't calling for rain on Saturday, it never hurts to be prepared.

"We had great conditions to work in," USC head coach Pete Carroll said. "This is an advantage for us that we can't always conjure. All of the issues that you deal with were kind of at hand today, so it was very good for us.

"I felt fortunate that we got to have this day like this. We might get a little (rain) tomorrow, which would be good, and we'll be ready to go."

The rain didn't seem to keep Matt Barkley from getting the ball to his receivers, as he found players open down the field often, but it did make the passes look a little wobbly at times.

"You might not have every ball being a spiral, but it gets there. I don't have a problem getting the ball there," Barkley said. "The snaps were great today. Me and (Kristofer O'Dowd) were money. I didn't find any problem with that. The only thing is your footing. Every once in a while, you have to really keep your feet under you. Sometimes you'll slip."